To the birth of a new era
by kurojiri
Summary: Somewhere along the way Tony Stark's schedule aligned itself to Peter's own academic calendar. And while that was both exulting and nerve breaking, it also made Tony want to take a step back to reevaluate how he got there in the first place.


**Y'all that I was done obsessing with Marvel? Think again lol. But seriously, I really do enjoy writing about these two bros and their dynamic that the MCU has provided.**

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In a sense of self preservation, Tony had managed to even his breathing in hopes that his decisions in life hadn't fully sunken in just yet. Or brushed against the unraveling sense of anxiety filling his body. Not that he had even the time to recover his feelings to see the damage and occurrence that left him in a conscience ordeal. One that made him feel even more of a failure of having to be a witness of his own spiral life and its chaotic indifference. In any case, Tony had no other choice but to agree that he did leave behind too many loose ends and in sub-consequence made more susceptible destructive debris loitering around his troubles.

Whether he had been informed by the world or by SHIELD, Tony Stark's own personal responsibilities had become everyone's background noise.

After years of cementing his status and influence Tony had still found that the limelight was still a bittersweet victory and pillar. Because, in one end he still had the world at the palm of his hand, and another, Tony was still an instrument to his own plans. Getting wrapped up at the world's own problems had never sat well with him. Not because he didn't particularly hate the attention of being a superhero gave him (he always did appreciate a good photo session) but rather, because Tony had not seen himself as a proper person to be labeled as a Hero of any kind in the first place.

He had been referred to as the merchant of death for a grace of time to change a majority of past opinions that quickly.

He gave the younger folks some benefit of doubt when they encountered and adored his new attached name of Iron Man. The youth had always been more adaptable and nimble with their choices. Yet, that had not made him approve of their support because in the back of his head, Tony had always been afraid. Of being casted away when one-day Iron Man would be yesterday's old news and he would be laid off as a forgotten old disappointment from history.

In that kind of fickleness charging his views, it made him weary of Spider-Man's initial introduction and passage of being a vigilante and overall friendly neighborhood superhero.

Iron Man had been the first hero to the modern world since Captain America was abruptly put to sleep back a few decades ago. Years after him and Tony's own personal hell of never being good enough to appease his father had crafted him to simpler conclusions. And that was, that being a superhero had never been his intention. Nor had it ever been something he would have predicted would stumble into his resume or self-introduction.

It came with backlash, hypocrisy and ongoing worship mindlessly humming when he created the suit and eventually revealed himself in that same breath of chaos ensuing his public life. That was why meeting Peter Parker and in turn, also meeting the beginning of Spider-Man had made the pit of his stomach to drop further. The kid had started too young. Still too naive to see how the world (but mostly humanity) corrupted everything it touched. It was if Peter was a small child that had never gotten over playing dress up on Halloween. Peter had created his costume and name a few months prior of meeting Tony Stark, while at the same time, he had made his own brand of cult followers before Tony officially stepped in to help.

And while Tony had done his best to integrate Spider-Man's life with Iron Man by default, there had still been too many loose ends etching into his nightmares. Ones that already buried his already crippling addiction to caffeine when he couldn't find time or peace to sleep. The kid wasn't even his own by blood, but that hadn't mattered when he took in all sides that Peter Parker showed him. Tony Stark had been pulled in by his boyish charms, Pepper and Happy too with the way they all loved seeing Peter come out of his shell and bravery as he welcomed their light teasing and companionship they endowed him.

His constant upgrades to Peter's suit were a testament of his underhand fear of losing such a bright light and mind.

Tony had already messed up too many times. Like a long lifetime of screwing up his own adolescence to his eve of being Iron Man. It basically made him exhausted that he had lived a life of nothing but cynical values and horrible coping mechanisms reaching deep inside his soul. Peter had become a sort of clasp of hope in his life. The boy who was the opposite of him. It genuinely scared him at how attached and awestruck the kid was to him, because that meant that Tony had to tread carefully.

Because if he said something wrong again, or did something _it would be on him_. The Vulture had gotten too close. Their government was taking notice and Tony was feeling like a father.

It was getting real.

Too much that Tony Stark had to reel himself in a panic stride to his lab in hopes of being alone in his thoughts. The cool metal and rumpled clothes he had on were all he could focus as he started mindlessly tinkering. The music blasted his ears and just like that, his worries muffled within his body. In mid turmoil and with FIRDAY still speaking clearly and going along with his random conversations he started was what made his tension leave in slow breaths. He still wouldn't be completely okay with Spider-Man being dragged along with the Avengers' crap but for now, he was grateful that he was Peter's backup.

For now, mentoring Spider-Man and giving Peter, a legitimate internship would be on his agenda. Because when he thought about that kid, he always remembered the sincerity in his words when he described his desire to help the little folks. The righteousness was unparalleled, that was why it always made Tony want to be better.

Not only for himself but for Peter as well.

(The kid deserved that much at least, if not more.)

Rising at mid-morning had always been a dull echo. The aches in his back, the coffee that was ready for him to consume and the simple routines of FRIDAY helping him start the day was all the same. Pepper would be annoyed but when he didn't have a scheduled early meeting he had the right to wake up whenever his brain felt like getting up. It was one of the few perks he had for being a billionaire genius. The only thing that subtly changed the cycle was the addition of Peter. It started leisurely and almost undetectable in the way that Peter's school calendar and pre-arranged events were combed over to FRIDAY's knowledge.

It had become a surreal kind of epiphany that blazed into Tony's core.

The month had been faring better than usual and after his three hours of sleep and coffee almost done from his cup FRIDAY had informed him of Peter's birthday and science fair was coming up soon. It had been just a simple schedule rundown. The one that came with him looking at his tablet as he usually poked around his to do list and picked the ones that felt more pressing or entertaining.

"Can you repeat that again."

Her voice again repeating the two things that shook him:

1\. He for a second forgot birthdays existed.

2\. He almost forgot about Peter's offhand comment and low-key invitation for him to coming to see his school's science fair.

Sometimes he really hated how real life had made a mess of his previous life lessons. All that bitterness and self-doubt had meddled with his sleeping routines. Its effects had him imploding him to race through his passing memories to pick up anything concrete to dissect. He had to give Peter something good—scratch that, something _better than perfect_. An object at least that had a sentimental message for the kid. But that was the problem.

He was out of his element. Tony had all the money in the world but he usually never gave proper gifts. (That had been Pepper's job.) Now he was stumped.

Teenagers had always been a handful angsty shits. (He'd been there and done that phase.) Yet, Peter wasn't an actual normal teen. The kid had better morals than most of his peers all combined. He was selfless as he was generous whether he wore the suit or not. That was what made it tricky for him to figure out what he could give him that didn't seem too redundant or overly pricey to make Peter feel uncomfortable about repaying him for his generosity.

(Which was stupid because Tony was a billionaire who ninety-nine percent of the time didn't really care how much money he blew off because he could afford it. That and Peter deserved to be pamper after all the shit he had to put up with for being a teen vigilante.)

He knew that both Ned and MJ (the girl that Peter had started to mention more often) were all going to give him gifts that revolved to Star Wars or something close to that realm. Then there was his Aunt May that would be giving Peter something probably really sentimental from his late uncle. Either way, Tony was at a loss of where he could venture. He ended up throwing a large pile of crumpled paper balls into a trash can after he had a long session of brainstorming. It entailed of him pulling at his hair and dunked a couple of cups of coffee for the rest of the morning and first hour after lunch.

Strangely enough it had been May that opened to him one random afternoon when she was calling if he wanted to meet up with her before the science fair started so they could both greet Peter together.

"I thought you hated me."

He had remembered at how angry she had been when she saw Peter wearing a custom-made Spider-Man costume that had screamed Stark technology from a mile away if anyone was really paying attention. And May Parker had always been scarily observant on occasions that needed it. Peter had mentioned that trait a couple of times in passing when he babbled about his family life.

"I disliked all of the possible scenarios of him getting hurt running through my mind when I saw him in that suit. But I do appreciate the time (the suit upgrades) you are giving him."

An air of acceptance passed on to Tony as he gripped his coffee mug. He kept looking at the screen of May's contact name on the screen. On the other line May kept talking.

"You are a part of the family, you know."

In the background, Tony almost dropped his mug when he couldn't help but suppress a shocked gasp. It went unnoticed as she kept talking about how Tony was doing good for Peter since Ben's death. She described how painful it had been to see Peter a couple of months ago when the accident had been still fresh. How he had shut down and dropped most of his school activities before he started to come home late. When he got the 'Stark internship' May had seen another layer of happiness that brewed into her nephew.

Something that had been obviously been due to Tony's sudden guidance. There still had been some instances when May had been skeptical but she had always found herself to always be proud and supportive for Peter. That was why she took the time to speak to Tony now, with Peter's birthday and science fair coming around the corner. He needed to know that while May would always be paranoid and worried (for good reasons) that she would be there for either of them. No matter the time and place.

Because, that was what it meant to be a family.

"So then, what do you think I should get or do for the kid then?"

May's chuckle only made him feel more hopeful as he heard her suggestion.


End file.
